


Owl Be Here

by Anonymous



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Affection, Cuddles, Fluff, M/M, Shifter AU, bokuto bugs the shit out of akaashi but still somehow ends up winning his stupid owl heart, owl human hybrid au, owl shifter Bokuto, owl shifter akaashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Bokuto is the only owl shifter at Fukurodani, that is, until he meets a small owl trying to doze in his favorite tree at lunch.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 13
Kudos: 211
Collections: Fanfic Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's no reason for this to exist.

Bokuto met Akaashi before he ever stepped foot in the gym, destined to be the main setter for Fukurondani. Sure, he did meet him the same week as try-outs, so he didn’t know him much longer than any of the other upperclassmen, but he liked to assume that since he knew Akaashi longer, he knew him better. He was his kouhai. He was the one Akaashi should always turn to for pointers and advice when he’s being led astray. 

However, Akaashi was hardly the type to do what Bokuto expected. He had his idealizations to blame. 

He met Akaashi during lunch on Monday. As all shifters did every once and awhile, he finished his lunch and decided to spend the rest of lunch in his animal form. Bokuto thought of himself as clever to be an owl shifter in a school with an owl symbol, especially since he found he was the only one in school who was: Komi was an armadillo, Konoha was a big cat of some kind, and so on. That was fine in Bokuto’s books. He was just pleased to be able to fly on and off court, whether it be with real wings or his high jumps and spikes. 

Bokuto stretched his wings, scoffing at the sight of his feathers in disarray. He flew away from his bento and into a nearby tree to hide his body amongst the leaves so he could preen his wings in private. He landed on his usual branch, hooting in surprise as the perch trembled under his weight. Staring wide eyed at the tree, he hopped once. The branch shook again, not enough to threaten a break, but enough for Bokuto to silently regret his eating habits. Was he gaining weight? Was it muscle?

He jumped again, as if that’ll solve the issue, but as the branch trembled, a soft chirp came from his side. With a pathetic screech leaving his beak, Bokuto stumbled toward the trunk, head turning the opposite way with incredulous eyes. 

If he was in his human form, his jaw may have dropped. Beside him was another owl, one he could recognize as a rufous-legged owl. It was smaller than him, which made sense due to it being naturally a smaller breed. It was sitting cozily a foot away, body tucked up nicely for some dozing away from the bright light of the sun. If it’s eyes weren’t narrowed on Bokuto, he would have assumed the owl was still sleeping, body too relaxed and still besides the small huffs of his chest as an annoyed noise came out. 

Bokuto tilted his head to the side, leaning closer to inspect the smaller owl. He was almost hopping with joy when he spotted a band peaking out from the owl’s feathers, attached tightly to his leg. It resembled Bokuto’s, but instead of blue, it was orange. It was a student, a first year to be precise. 

He squaked, clawing his way over until he was brushing feathers with the student, whose glare remained trained on him. He bobbed his head as he inspected his kouhai, who reluctantly closed his eyes, intent on ignoring the bigger owl in favor of trying to get more sleep. Aside from a few twitches as Bokuto hooted at him to try and get his attention, the younger owl didn’t move until the warning bell for class rang. He opened his eyes once more, staring past Bokuto before flapping his wings and taking off. 

Tuesday was different. Bokuto ate quickly, then shifted back into his owl form. The little owl was in the tree once more, just getting settled as Bokuto landed beside him. He spared a glance at the great horned owl as he tucked his wings in close. Bokuto copied him, but was practically vibrating with excitement. The branch trembled slightly. 

The small owl’s chest feathers puffed as he curled into himself. His beak chattered softly before his eyes fluttered closed. He looked adorable. 

Deciding it was his duty to stay watchful for anything that could ruin his kouhai’s sleep, Bokuto turned to look out toward the courtyard. Nothing out of the usual happened. Through the leaves, he could spot a dog shifter along with a few small rodent shifters frolicking around below. Boredom soon overtook him as he turned back to the other owl. 

He twisted his head to get a better look at his kouhai’s face. To his joy, the owl didn’t stir, still scrunched up with his feathers puffed near his face for warmth. Bokuto scooted a little closer, wing pressing now uncomfortably against the other. He untucked it, flapping it once before settling it, slightly out stretched behind him. 

Bokuto debated settling his wing around the smaller bird. It would provide him more warmth, and keep him safe from danger, but the chances of the younger owl appreciating the gesture was… Well, it would be super forward! Not that he minded! He loved that there was another owl on campus, and what would match better than a couple of owls being a couple? Actually, it would be kind of cool being a power couple in a school with an owl mascot. 

Then again, he never saw the owl as a person. He examined the little owl more, eying it’s coloration and soft exhales. He probably looked just as small and cute when he was shifted. Bokuto chirped, agreeing with his thoughts as he leaned forward and poked a feather on the small owls head with his beak. The owl huffed once, but didn’t stir otherwise. Bokuto wasn’t certain if he was awake, but since he wasn’t being swiped at with claws or wings, he took it as a sign that the younger owl didn’t care. 

Craning his neck, he began to pick at and rearrange the feathers on the others neck. He chortled to himself when he was met with no resistance, but huffed when the others feathers puffed out, easing slowly back down, his hard work almost completely gone to waste. Before he could focus back on his task, he spotted two eyes opening and remaining half lidded. He bobbed his head, but was met with no response besides the same two eyes boring into his own. 

He hesitantly returned to sorting the others feathers, huffing when he saw a small piece of a leaf stuck between two of the smaller owls flyers. Busying himself, he shifted close for a better view. In the distance he could hear students bustling about in their human or animal forms, but tried to ignore them as he worked. 

When he couldn’t find any more faults in the other’s wings, he realized the smaller owl was closer to him than before, head against his feathered chest, eyes closed once more. The moment he stopped grooming, the owl sat up, scooted back a step, then craned it’s neck to stare at him. 

He cooed, tilting his neck. The owl puffed its feathers again as it rose from his seat, flapped his wings a few times, then settled once more. Bokuto wondered if they were more or less talkative when in their human form. 

To his surprise, the owl hopped closer again. It leaned forward, beak pecking against his coat. Bokuto wasn’t too proud of the off noise that left his throat, but the other didn’t seem to mind as it tugged harshly at the feathers on Bokuto’s wings, then leaned up to fix his neck. Bokuto couldn’t help but move, flapping his wings and bobbing his head as the owl cleaned him, but stopped when he received a sharp bite of irritation. It was like a pinch, but still a shock to receive from someone after he spent so much time making them look and feel nice. 

As if noticing his internal pout, the little owl cooed once at him. It was enough to have Bokuto standing tall once more until the bell rang and the small owl flew off. 

On Wednesday, Bokuto brought a trinket with him. He didn’t want to impress his new lunch buddy as owls usually did, which was with small dead animals, so instead he brought one of his volleyball keychains to share. He had the ring of the chain in his beak for easy carrying, then flew off to meet his friend. The owl was already there when he was, this time wide awake, as if it was waiting for someone. 

Bokuto landed and opened his wings wide, beating them fast as he held the chain out to the small owl. It stared at the hanging volleyball charm, then back at him. Then, before Bokuto could process what was happening, the owl clattered its beak against his, soft scritches echoing in his ears, before the owl turned and took the keychain. It hopped back, setting the keychain down before setting as it always did when it wanted a nap. 

Bokuto was too pleased to care that their interaction was over so quickly. He’d remain by his friend until the bell rang. He tucked his wings in, then started scooting over to where the owl was tucked up warmly. 

Before he could find a place to sit comfortably, the owl poked its head up and peaked at his own wing. Slowly, the owl overlapped two of its feathers, then snuggled back into himself. 

Beaming with excitement, Bokuto crept forward to fix his friend’s wing. He ran his beak among the blackish brown and white feathers, sorting it with care as the owl dozed off. When he left at the end of lunch, it took the keychain with it. 

On Thursday Bokuto waited a long time before the owl came by. It had a band wrapped in its talons which it left on the branch. It backed up, nodding to it with his eyes on Bokuto’s wide ones. He hooted with joy at his new gift, poking around at it with interest. It was a black sports wrist band with two white lines and one gold one as its only design. He couldn’t help the happy squaks that left him as he inspected the gift, but they cut off immediately when he accidentally pushed his prize off the branch. With wide eyes, he looked down at the ground to spot it plop down on the grass. 

Without hesitation, the smaller owl took off, spiraling down to the ground. It extended its legs, then snatched the band back up with its talons. It was so graceful and quick, and Bokuto almost lost his balance trying to get a better view of its flight. From there, the little owl flew up with a few flaps and landed back on the branch. It dropped the bracelet on the branch again, then pushed it closer to Bokuto with its beak.

Bokuto bobbed his head as he carefully hopped forward. He tried to get his foot in the middle so it didn’t move, but ended up just slipping it off the side once more. Once again it tumbled to the ground.

The little owl glanced down, then once again took off after it and brought it back. This time, it manuvred the band to its beak, then pushed it toward Bokuto’s beak insistently. He gingerly took it, feathers puffing when the owl brushed their cheeks together, beak chattering with soft cooes of reassurance. Bokuto tried to reciprocate, but the moment he opened his beak, dread filled his heart. The band tumbled back down to the ground and the little owl pulled away to stare into his eyes. Though admittedly a wide eyed, blank look of an owl was adorable no matter what scenario, Bokuto almost felt terrified for himself as the owl didn’t move. Then, slowly, it flapped its wings and took off. It landed on the ground beside the band, stretching its feet out against the earth before glancing up at Bokuto expectantly. 

Bokuto followed after him, landing close by to the owl, who hopped over to the band, but made no attempt to pick it up. 

Nervously, Bokuto closed his eyes tight and transformed back. He found himself back in his human body soon after he closed his eyes, sitting on the ground. His school outfit was still messy and untucked, hair still gelled up tall, and the blush on his cheeks very noticeable as he took the band and put it around his wrist. “Sorry about that! I’m clumsy off the court, but thank you so much for the gift! I hope you like your keychain too!” 

It blinked at him, then curled in close. In seconds, a student was kneeling in front of him. His uniform was crisp and clean, eyes bright blue like sapphires, hair a tousled black mess of curls, and his face was as deadpan as it was as an owl. That being said, he was just as adorable as Bokuto anticipated him to be. And now he was certain the owl was a he.

“Thank you as well,” The owl man replied, bowing his head forward respectfully, “for the keychain. It’s on my bag now.”

“Your welcome!” Bokuto shouted, nerves taking over briefly. The owl man jumped at the noise, rearing back a second before he was leaning closer once more. It reminded him of a cautious animal, uncertain but trusting as it tried to get a better look at whatever caught his eye. It made Bokuto’s heart flutter in excitement. “My name is Bokuto, Koutaro Bokuto. I’m a second year!”

“I could tell from your band.” The owl man smiled. Bokuto wished it always stayed on his face because it was for sure a sight. He could feel the urge to coo bubbling in his throat, something significantly harder to do as a human, but then began to cough wildly. He hit his chest with his fist as he gasped for air. Soon enough, a loose feather popped out of his mouth. The owl man covered his lips with his hand to hide his laughter as Bokuto stared at the feather incredulously. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Bokuto-san. I’m Akaashi Keiji.” Bokuto flicked the feather away with a huff. Though he was embarrassed about gagging over one of his feathers, it dissipated when Akaashi reached over and brushed a hand on his cheek, thumb digging in and rubbing against his cheek bone, trailing up to his hair, then he pulled away. Bokuto glanced at him with wonder, catching Akaashi’s smile pulling wider, “Did you just hoot?”

“It felt nice!” Bokuto blushed, glancing down at the bracelet. He stroked the fabric in his hands to avoid looking at Akaashi as he gathered himself. 

“It was cute.”

Bokuto snapped his head up to face Akaashi, whose cheeks were much less red and whose stance was a lot less shy than Bokuto’s. 

Akaashi blinked. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I don’t… erm, I don’t know many other owls, and we were… kind of uh… I may have taken things the wrong way. I’m sorry for that.”

“U-Uh no!” Bokuto shook his head, waving his hands in front of him. “You are cute too! Like, your eyes are really wow, and your feathers are so soft, and you really have a nice voice! In both forms! And you look super good in your uniform and I just keep talking, huh? I’ll stop now.”

Slowly, tension released from Akaashi’s body and a smile made its way back to his lips. “I’m glad to hear that. Actually, I did have a request now that I can actually speak to you.”

Bokuto beckoned Akaashi to continue, cooing to himself when Akaashi finally turned pink and looked to the side. “This is odd, but can you preen my feathers again sometime? It’s hard to get rest at night with my second nature, and it’s relaxing when you do it… and it helps me feel sleepy.”

Bokuto grinned, sitting up tall. “I’ll do it every day if you’d like! I mean it when I said your feathers are really nice! I just want to snuggle up in them like a warm, small pillow! They are that great, I’m serious.”

Akaashi’s neck was red at this point. He coughed into his hand to hide his face, then pulled it away when he managed to calm himself down. “I wouldn’t mind you doing that.”

Bokuto felt like taking flight, but seeing as he was in his human form, that was unlikely. Instead, he reached forward and plopped a hand in Akaashi’s unruly locks. He scratched his head with his blunt fingernails, curling once around the curve of Akaashi’s earn which earned him a perfect view of Akaashi’s eyes closing, leaning forward in a daze, and a small coo bubbling from his throat. Akaashi didn’t seem as embarrassed as Bokuto was when he made noises in human form, instead embracing the behavior with stride. Even in human form, Bokuto thought affectionately as Akaashi brushed his cheek to Bokuto’s palm, owls still like scratches on their head near their ears. 

When the bell rang, they pulled away reluctantly. Akaashi hummed, a peaceful, tired look in his eye as he sat back, head tilted as he examined Bokuto. Bokuto helped him stand up by grabbing his hand and heaving him up, then sent him a smile. 

Akaashi returned it, but didn’t drop his hand right away. Bokuto rocked forward on his heels, poking his nose against Akaashi’s, who didn’t flinch in the slightest. Instead, his soft smile grew just a tiny fraction more.“You seem a bit touch starved, huh, ‘Kaashi?”

He received a shrug in response, Akaashi’s grip tightening once before letting go. Bokuto almost regretted saying anything out loud since now his hand felt cold. 

“Owls are touchy feely creatures in general,” Akaashi replied dismissively as he began to walk toward the entrance back to the school. 

Bokuto pondered that for a moment, then raced after him. “Wait! No they aren’t! Akashi! Wait up!”


	2. Double Trouble?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto has a crush, but he's not certain if it's actually reciprocated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a one shot. Supposed to be. Oh how far I've strayed from the path.

Bokuto wished he could say that things turned out well after Akaashi arrived at the gym on Friday, introducing himself as a student wanting to join. Bokuto may have cheered him on while he displayed his skills as a setter (and also drooled over the fact that he was both an owl and a setter! He’s perfect!), much to Akaashi’s annoyance. Off the bat the team could tell that they knew each other before that afternoon and everyone hounded Bokuto for details. 

“We are lunch buddies!” Bokuto boasted, not ready to throw around any nonofficial titles. He’d have to talk to Akaashi to ask what they were since most of the time they couldn’t talk since they were in owl forms. But, given the fact that Akaashi allows and wants Bokuto to groom and cuddle up with him on the branch, he could only assume they were well on their way to dating, if not already. Akaashi did call him cute! The next step after that was likely kissing and dates! 

He changed quickly in the locker room, brimming with excitement since Akaashi was right there. Maybe they could walk home or fly together for a bit. Akaashi was small, but was he faster? He does move very gracefully from what Bokuto’s seen, but he never flew with Akaashi.

He turned to the setter and waited for him to finish buttoning his blazer. As if sensing his gaze, Akaashi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye; it was his own way of beckoning the other to just get on with whatever he was about to do. Bokuto grinned and stepped closer. 

“Kash! Do you want to go to our tree?” Bokuto exclaimed, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. He heard a locker close from across the room as his teammates finished up. Konoha, who stood across the lockers at him, shot him a look which Bokuto returned with an eager grin. 

When he looked back, Akaashi was staring at him, a small furrow in his brow. His lips were pulled in a little frown. “Uh...I’m sorry, Bokuto-san, I have an errand to run.”

“Oh.” Bokuto couldn’t understand why Akaashi didn’t look pleased. Maybe it was a boring task he had to do. Folding his hands behind his back, he gave Akaashi another smile, leaning closer. “I’ll come with! We can make it more fun together, right?”

He froze when Akaashi reached a hand out, stopping him from coming any closer. His eyes flickered between his hand and Akaashi’s eyes, mind aching from confusion. Earlier Akaashi brushed his hand against his cheek and hair, and he called him cute. He held onto Bokuto’s hand. He allowed Bokuto to put his hands in his hair and give him scratches. Bokuto even brushed their noses together and Akaashi looked just as happy as he did. Those were seen as kind of intimate things, but Akaashi suddenly looked uneasy as they stood in the locker room. 

“I have to head out now. I’ll see you at practice, Bokuto-san.” And with that, he turned on his heel and headed to the door. 

Bokuto stared, jaw hanging open before he managed to fumble out, “Lunch? Monday?”

The door closed behind Akaashi, leaving him alone in the room. Well, alone with pretty much every member of the team staring at either him or the door, but the loneliness was very much real. He must have done something wrong.

Contrary to popular belief, owls weren’t exactly affectionate. Bokuto was just a major exception. His mothers told him that, his sisters told him that- even Kuroo, his friend from Nekoma, told him that. 

“Owl shifter’s are usually super picky.” Kuroo bit into a scoop of strawberry ice cream. His facetime feed buffered as the cat shifter sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on his desk. Bokuto didn’t have ice cream, so he just ate applesauce with a little bit of rainbow sprinkles mixed in. It wasn’t awful, but not a decision he’d make again. “I used to think you’d be a big, mean machine. It’s not really common for you guys to be so… you. And the way you described your little ‘friend’ proves that a bit.”

“But he seemed to like me,” Bokuto pouted, eyes drifting to his desk set up in his room. None of his school supplies were pulled out even though it was Sunday night and he had assignments, but he chose to ignore them and mope around instead. “He called me cute.”

“And you are sure he didn’t mean cute as in like… like an annoying little kid that idolizes and loves you kinda cute?”

Bokuto drooped and set his bowl down on his desk. “... I don’t think he meant it that way…”

“There’s an easy fix for this,” Kuroo sighed, setting his ice cream down as well. He laced his hands together and quirked an eyebrow at Bokuto. “You just have to show your interest more. If he pulls away, then you know he was taking it the wrong way.”

Bokuto distantly recalled Akaashi using similar words the other day. He thought they were on the same page, but apparently not. “I just don’t know how I’d do that. I’ve done everything I can think of, and that’s all the romantic stuff I know to do. Erm, well, in owl form at least.”

“Have you tried rubbing your faces or wings together?”

Bokuto sat up with a frown. “No?”

Kuroo laughed. “That’s what I always do to let others know I’m interested, so try that! He can’t mistake that!”

He couldn’t imagine rubbing their feathers together would be a nice feeling, but he held back his judgement as Kuroo claimed he had to study and log off. Bokuto thanked him and shut down his laptop before turning to glare at his ceiling in frustration, his sprinkled applesauce forgotten. 

On Monday, despite Bokuto’s doubts, he found Akaashi sitting in the tree waiting for him. Akaashi sat up and flapped his wings twice upon spotting Bokuto, then tucked close as if Bokuto needed all the space he could get. He settled on the branch, scooting closer to Akaashi until they were pressed up together. Akaashi huffed his feathers, then settled with closed eyes. 

Bokuto leaned down to start poking at Akaashi’s feathers, occasionally digging his beak a little harder. It was met with chortles from Akaashi’s chattering beak, his little body leaning closer to the relaxing treatment. Once Bokuto was sure he lulled the little owl into a peaceful doze, he pulled away for only a moment to turn his body to the side. Slowly, he turned back toward Akaashi, wincing as their feathers brushed against each other, going the opposite way they flowed. It roused Akaashi, who blinked rapidly as he sat up, hopping a step away from Bokuto. 

Akaashi, for all the credit Bokuto could give him, didn’t seem as confused as Bokuto thought after receiving such an unpleasant sensation against his feathers.

He, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to either explain why he woke up his slumbering classmate with such an awful grooming strategy. That, or go hide in a tree trunk nearby. He, unfortunately, knew all the hiding places around the school grounds and he could only squeeze himself into one of them so long as no other animal was nestled inside. He bet Akaashi could fit into any of them. 

Before he could fly off, Akaashi crept forward. He hooted quietly, craning his head to the side, then up to look at Bokuto with his dark, round eyes. Without much delay, Akaashi hopped around until he was facing the other side of the branch that looked out to the track field. Bokuto awkwardly turned a little to face Akaashi, but stopped when the other rubbed against him with his wing. He could see Akaashi’s feathers bending as he did so, but the brush Bokuto felt was stiff and even against his coat, a better feeling than earlier. 

Akaashi rearranged himself back on the branch after a few more rubs, this time facing the school building once more. He leaned up, beak nudging Bokuto’s with a few soft airy chitters. Bokuto returned the gesture, clicking his beak against Akaashi’s before moving to the side and nuzzling their cheeks together. Akaashi closed his eyes, feathers puffing up in response. 

When the bell rang, Akaashi flew down first and transformed right on impact. Bokuto took his time heading down, but was pleased when Akaashi stuck around for him, hands laced and a small, barely noticeable smile on his face. Bokuto transformed back, then stretched out his legs with a long sigh.

“What was that about earlier?” Akaashi hummed, an air of mischief in his tone as he gave Bokuto a half-lidded stare. Bokuto knew what he meant immediately. 

“U-Uh, I was told by a volleyball friend that it would feel nice!” Bokuto laughed as he scratched his neck to hide his nerves. He knew he had a tendency to talk with his hands when he wasn’t feeling confident, and he didn’t want Akaashi picking up on that right away. 

“Your friend lied,” Akaashi mumbled. He scrunched his nose up in a way that reminded Bokuto of a rabbit. 

“Well, he isn’t an owl, so I guess I shouldn’t have listened anyways.” Right. Cats really didn’t know anything about owls. Especially Kuroo, who always acts so smart, but it was clear now that even he had some things he didn’t know. “He’s a cat. I don’t really know what kind.”

“A cat told you?” Akaashi chuckled, eyes twinkling. Bokuto wasn’t sure if he preferred his large owl eyes or his tired, blue human eyes. He liked them both a lot. Akaashi leaned in close to Bokuto’s face, expression unwavering. “And why would they tell you to do that?”

Bokuto blushed. “Uh, they just… said it out of the blue.”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, a hum in his throat that sounded a bit too much like his soft hoots. “I have a cat friend too. Typically that behavior is reserved for special circumstances, isn’t that right?”

Bokuto’s heart skyrocketed as Akaashi rocked forward and brushed their noses together. Instead of pulling away right away, he nuzzled close hands coming up to settle with a faint touch over Bokuto’s middle. Bokuto blushed, grinning as he returned the gesture, but before he could reach over to hold him in return, Akaashi stepped back and grabbed one of his rising hands. 

“We really need to hurry to class,” Akaashi announced, tugging his hand once hard before guiding Bokuto back into the building. He dropped his hand a few steps into the building, but Bokuto still had pep in his step. As they headed to their classes, which were on different floors but still close enough to each other to walk halfway there together, Bokuto spotted multiple other couples in the hallway. He saw two wolf hybrids snuggling up in a corner watching a video on one of their phones, two crow hybrids sharing gummy worms and laughing about it. He spotted another couple, a jaguar and lizard, who were napping by a window so the lizard hybrid could get warm in the sun. Lastly, he saw some of his friends all cooped up together on the stairwell, all gathered around and holding hands and smiling and snuggling. 

Hybrids, from what Bokuto’s known, are usually touchy feely. Since it’s hard to communicate much as their animal, they make up for the lack of words for touches that mean the same thing in the end. He knew that, but when he saw his friends, who he knew were all only friends, being touchy and giggly with each other, he felt a little bit sad. 

Maybe Akaashi only considered them to be friends, bonded by their owl other halves. Ouch.

Practice didn’t make him feel too confident either. Despite making good plays in their little rally, Bokuto couldn’t stop sighing every few minutes as he watched Akaashi collect balls on the side lines, occasionally coming in to take part in setting. The whole practice was void of the warm, fuzzy affection Akaashi accepted and provided, instead replaced with blank stares and formal speech. 

Bokuto drummed his hands against a ball as he stared at Akaashi, who was tossing back and forth with Washio in the corner near the end of the day. Perhaps Akaashi was embarrassed of him and didn’t want others knowing they were so close? Could they even be described as close? 

He tried once more in the locker room after practice, grinning to the smaller owl boy. “Have you ever been to the arcade in the mall? I was thinking about heading there after school if you wanted to tag along.”

Akaashi paused for a moment, but his expression remained neutral. 

“There’s this really good crepe cart by it. They make the best dessert flavored ones and add sprinkles and pocky! Have you been there before?”

“Not that I can remember, no,” Akaashi replied as he buttoned his collared shirt up. Bokuto pumped his fist in the air. 

“Great! So it’s a date.”

Akaashi froze, fingers losing the button and hole he was working on. Bokuto felt pride fill his chest as he spotted reddening cheeks before Akaashi turned to cough into his hand. It felt like the entire locker room had quieted for him, for their little moment. He felt powerful, like a king staring out at a sea from his mighty ship. It reminded him of the Titanic, where the girl cried with joy, “I’m on top of the world!”

“I’m sorry, Bokuto-san, but I’ll have to decline. I have a lot of homework.” Bam! Iceberg. There goes chunks of Bokuto, now drowning into the sadness he felt earlier. 

When Akaashi left the room, Bokuto heard a low whistle from one of his teammates. “Shot down that fast, huh.”

“I wasn’t shot down,” Bokuto huffed, but even he doubted his logic, “he is just busy.”

“I dunno, Bo.” Konoha hummed from where he was, throwing his bag over his shoulder. “I’m not so certain he likes you that way. He’s so stiff with you in the gym, he may still be uncomfortable.”

That doesn’t make sense. Why would Akaashi smile at him like that if he wasn’t genuine? No one could fake that twinkling look in his eyes when he stared up at Bokuto in the courtyard. And why would Akaashi nuzzle him if he didn’t want to be close? 

Tuesday came by quickly. Bokuto thought about his situation all night and in the end, he had no plan. Nothing. To be real, he spent most of the night with his sisters, as he did every Monday night. They sat him in Kaori’s room and they all watched a chick flick. Bokuto was just happy to eat food and cry with his sisters at the sad moment when the boy pulled away from the girl. He made a huge deal about how he, a poor college student, could never fit into her life as an heiress. Very tragic stuff, very angsty, but it ended happily with a kiss as the screen faded to black. 

“Daisuke, you fucking idiot,” Minae cried as she threw a used tissue at the TV, “you almost let the love of your life slip through your fingers!”

Bokuto wished he was like Daisuke, in a way. No, he wasn’t desiring a life as a barista and full time Communications major, but he did want to find love. 

After the movie, he relaxed with them with face masks and they tried to paint his nails. He managed to convince them not to by instead telling them about Akaashi, but they weren’t much help with his situation.

“He sounds a bit like a dick,” Minae grumbled without an inch of empathy, “like he’s embarrassed to be seen with you.”

“I bet he’s not that pretty anyways. Either way, he’s the one missing out,” Kaori agreed. Bokuto wished he had a photo to prove them wrong. 

“Yeah, but he’s just… so double sided. It’s like he has a twin or something…” Bokuto’s eyes bulged. “Does he have a twin? We never talked about volleyball in the court yard! Fuck. His twin at the club must think I’m a freak!”

“... I mean,” Minae began, “we can’t be sure he doesn’t have a twin?”

So, Tuesday at lunch, Bokuto marched out to the courtyard and stood under the tree. He didn’t transform, even when he saw Akaashi sitting up in the tree. Upon realizing Bokuto wasn’t coming up, Akaashi flapped his wings wide, then glided down toward Bokuto. 

Startled, Bokuto held out his arm, which Akaashi settled on. He was even tinier looking when Bokuto was in his human form. He bet he could easily pass Akaashi off as a stuffed animal with how cartoonishly cute and big his eyes were and with how quiet and still he usually was. He scratched Akaashi’s head, smiling when the owl leaned into the touch. 

Once he pulled away, Akaashi stretched his wings out, flapping once before suddenly his human form was in front of Bokuto, hands resting on Bokuto’s upper arms. He leaned forward, head bobbing owlishly. Bokuto loved when Akaashi transformed. When back in their human forms, it took a moment or two until they behaved more like humans. In the meantime, it wasn’t uncommon to hear animal-like noises pass a human’s lips or their mannerisms showing through until it drained from their system. Bokuto always struggled with that and hooting, and even sometimes would hoot hours after transforming back if he got too excited. It was typically viewed as a little improper, which is also why animal forms were banned during class periods, as to not be a distraction for their peers. 

“Kaashi?” He was greeted with a warm hum, like a lullaby beckoning him to their little naptime in the tree. Akaashi’s smile drained any negativity from his system, and he felt like Daisuke when he first met the heiress, like a lovestruck idiot completely disarmed by such a small gesture. “Do you want to get ice cream later today? And walk around the park? Uh, with me.”

Unlike Akaashi’s twin in the locker room, this Akaashi’s smile twitched wider. His hands slid up Bokuto’s arms, snaking over his shoulders to lace his fingers behind Bokuto’s head. His nails briefly tickled the back of Bokuto’s neck, but he was too focused on how close Akaashi was to laugh.

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Depends.” 

Akaashi raised an eyebrow but it was clear he was amused. “Mm, what does it depend on then?”

“If you’d say yes if it was,” Bokuto wheezed. Akaashi laughed and pulled away, using a hand to cover his wide grin. 

“Then yes, I want to go with you.” 

Akaashi was only slightly taken back when Bokuto jumped in the air, pumping his fist with excitement with a cheer. He collected himself quick, calming his laughs as he shook his head at the other owl.

Bokuto didn’t talk to Akaashi’s twin at practice. He was a little embarrassed of how he was acting and he didn’t really want his twin thinking Bokuto was a weirdo. He liked Lunch Akaashi, not Practice Akaashi. Even so, he needed both of them to like him to some extent to make future family dinners less awkward. 

He didn’t harass the twin as he finished up practice and got changed. In fact, he didn’t even look his way in the locker room, instead brushing past everyone to race to the school gates to meet his Akaashi. 

Akaashi wasn’t there waiting, but he did arrive ten minutes later with an athletic bag on his shoulders. He gave Bokuto a smile and they headed off.

Half way to the park, Bokuto tried to grab his hand. After a little bit of fumbling since it was hard to try and hold hands without looking that way due to his embarrassment, they were holding hands as they walked. “Hey, Kash, do you play sports?”

Akaashi glanced up at him. “Gee, I don’t know. Do you?”

“I play volleyball!” Bokuto exclaimed. “I’m practically the ace of the team! I definitely will be once I hit third year.”

“I believe it,” Akaashi agreed, squeezing Bokuto’s hand once. Bokuto’s heart fluttered at the comment, some bounce coming into his step as they arrived at the ice cream stand. He paid for their cones despite Akaashi trying to insist otherwise, but he gave up eventually and accepted his cone with a thank you. Bokuto got rocky road and Akaashi got mint. Though Bokuto always hated mint and would choose any other flavor over it in a heartbeat, when Akaashi held his cone out and asked if Bokuto wanted some, he eagerly tried some. Indirect kiss! Score! 

Akaashi had some of his as well, though he didn’t hide his disgust in the mix of flavors as he pulled away. He eagerly bit into his mint ice cream to chase away the aftertaste which made Bokuto laugh. 

It went as all rom-com dates go. They talked, laughed, walked around and enjoyed each other's company. When the sun was beginning to set, Akaashi let go of his hand and spread his arms out, spinning in a small circle before glancing at Bokuto, a strange glint in his eyes. 

“It’s a perfect night for flying, isn’t it?”

There were some that suppressed their other side. Bokuto has many friends who he’s never seen transform, and some claim to do it only when necessary. Hearing those words from Akaashi were like music to his ears. Without a moment of thought, he nodded his head. He transformed, and Akaashi followed suit. 

Owls weren’t known for flying long distances or for lengthy amounts of time for fun, but it was enjoyable to soar beside Akaashi. As Bokuto expected, Akaashi was fast, but not fast enough to be a challenge to follow after. He only managed to lose him once amongst a bundle of cheers. He hooted loudly, but the other didn’t respond.

He landed on one of the branches, checking the limbs of the tree to see if Akaashi got tired and ended up falling asleep somewhere even if they were only parted for a moment. He soon spotted the owl near the base of a different tree, staring at him. 

Flapping his wings with joy for finding his companion, he flew over and greeted him with a peck to his head. Akaashi greeted him back, scratching his neck before tucking his face as much into his wing as possible. Bokuto stared at him, head tilting to the side as Akaashi began to make soft coos. Each was followed by a beat of silence and sounded monotonous, no big emotion exposed. 

Uncertain, Bokuto rearranged himself on the branch and tucked in close to the smaller owl to ensure he was warm during his nap. 

Akaashi opened his eyes and blinked at him, then hopped further down the branch to put more space between them. He hooted once, then took off to a different tree. He disappeared amongst the leaves. 

Bokuto shifted his feet, glancing around the park for anything he was missing. After a minute, he quietly got off the branch and began to search for Akaashi once more. He found him at a small playground close by, sitting at the top of one of the slides. Akaashi greeted him once again with a scratch, then tucked his face back into his wing. Bokuto stared as the paused coos began once more, but then it hit him. They were playing hide and seek.

Bokuto flapped his wings quickly, hooting in surprise as he took off. He scanned the park for hiding places big enough to not give him away. Eventually he ended up hiding underneath a bench, nestled up alongside similar colored wood chips. He had a good view of Akaashi as he took off from the slide and began to search in the direction of the trees. He snuggled into the uncomfortable chips, knowing he may be there for a while. Akaashi was so small, it’d take him a while to search each area successfully. 

He waited patiently, poking at the wood chips every so often. Once the park lights began to turn on for the night, he was getting a little antsy. Did Akaashi go too far? Was he hiding too well? 

He clawed his way out from under the bench, batting the dirt from his wings as best as he could so he could turn and face the trees. To his shock, Akaashi was perched on the bench, staring down at him. He hooted loudly, taking several clumsy steps back as the little owl hopped down and approached him. 

Bokuto shifted back with a pout. “You scared me! How long were you sitting there?”

Akaashi changed to his human form as well, smirking as he finished crawling over to where Bokuto sat on the wood chips. He stopped when his knees brushed one of Bokuto’s, hands raising to pick the pieces of leaves and dirt from Bokuto’s clothes. 

“You started cooing and I just followed the noise. I was trying to find you in the chips, but then you emerged from under the bench and I thought it was a little funny.” Bokuto huffed at Akaashi’s explanation. He received a pout from Akaashi, a clear mock since Akaashi started chuckling soon after. 

“You still scared me,” Bokuto argued pathetically, unable to keep his grumpy act up when Akaashi cupped his cheek and guided him to face him. Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m sorry you get scared too easily. I should have taken that into account when I was just sitting there doing nothing to antagonize you.” Bokuto almost accepted the apology until he realized what Akaashi had said. He scoffed, but froze when Akaashi leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his, hopefully, dirt-free cheek. “Did that make up for it, you big baby?”

“You are so mean sometimes,” Bokuto replied, but he couldn’t help the dumb look on his face, an expression with wide, amazed eyes and a large grin. 

Akaashi shrugged, smile unwavering as he leaned closer and mumbled, “You may have gotten a better apology if you didn’t choose rocky road.”

Bokuto blushed. “Wait, really?”

Akaashi pulled away and stood up. He brushed the dirt off his uniform pants before reaching a hand out to Bokuto. He took it, allowing the smaller boy to yank him up. He was impressed with how strong Akaashi was since he looked like a rail. Maybe he didn’t eat much lunch since they always meet up nowadays. He’d have to make sure Akaashi ate enough from now on. “Who knows.”

“No, you said it!” Bokuto teased, pointing to Akaashi’s pink cheeks. The other glanced away with faked disinterest if the quirk of his lips had anything to say about it. “You said you’d kiss me.”

“Ah, is that what I said?” Akaashi hummed as he tapped his chin. “I don’t remember saying that.”

“It was implied,” Bokuto sang, following after Akaashi as the others began to head to the park gates. “Well, I won hide and seek 2 to 1, so I think I deserve to pick a reward.”

Akaashi laughed. “That’s because we only played three rounds and I couldn’t have earned more than 1 point.”

“Nope! You would have if I didn’t find you.”

“I went easy on you because it took you a while to realize what was going on.”

“It still counts! I want a reward!” Bokuto insisted, leaning close to Akaashi with puckered lips. Akaashi pushed him away, speeding into a jog. Bokuto followed, howling with laughter as Akaashi glanced back and paled, then opened his arms. In seconds, a small owl took his space and it darted into trees. Bokuto changed as well, wondering if Akaashi regretted playing hide and seek with him since Bokuto knew what colors to look for now amongst the leaves. 

It didn’t take him long to find Akaashi, who stared up at him, huffing out some squeaks as Bokuto landed beside him, puffing his chest out. Eventually, Akaashi defeatedly landed on the ground, turning human the moment he touched the grass. Bokuto wondered how he could time things so well. He wanted to look that cool one day, but for now, he just transforms midair and falls a foot or two to the ground. 

“That’s 3 to 1 now,” Bokuto pointed out, grinning when Akaashi sent him a little glare. Then, suddenly, Akaashi leaned close and pressed a kiss to Bokuto’s lips. It lasted a few seconds longer than Bokuto anticipated, further displaying how Akaashi’s reluctance earlier was false. Though, when they pulled away, Akaashi’s nose wrinkled with distaste

“You taste like marshmallow,” He grumbled in disappointment. 

“And you taste like mint.” Bokuto still hated mint, but wouldn’t waste a chance to squeeze another kiss out of Akaashi before they left the park. Luckily, he didn’t need to do anything. When they reached the gates and bid each other goodbye, Akaashi kissed him once more, then headed on his way. 

Wednesday came and Bokuto had a little plan. He spent lunch with Akaashi as usual, except this time it ended with him kissing Akaashi’s cheek with a grin, and then went throughout the school day working up his nerves to talk to Akaashi’s twin. 

When he reached the gym and saw the setter working, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Akashi! I need to talk to you!”

The setter glanced over with blank eyes, then jogged over. His expression was unchanging as he slowed to a stop and held his hands in front of him respectfully. Bokuto wondered how two twins could be so different. Though this Akaashi looked just like his, pretty and quiet, his Akaashi was more teasing and easier with expressing emotions. This one just seemed bottled up and calculating. 

“Yes, Bokuto-san?”

This was it. There isn’t any good way to say this. Bokuto sighed before bowing lowly to Akaashi. He could hear a breath catch in Akaashi’s throat at his actions, but he spoke before the setter could, “I’m so sorry! I mistook you for your brother and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable!”

“... My brother?” 

“Yes! We’ve been hanging out at lunch every day and yesterday we… We went on a date. You two just look so alike that I messed you two up- which I mean, is fair ‘cause you two are twins. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable these past few days. I only like him, and I like him a lot, so I hope you don’t hold this mix up against me. Please forgive me.”

If the gym wasn’t already quiet upon seeing Bokuto bowing, they were then as Akaashi’s cheeks turned bright red, eyes glancing anywhere where he wouldn’t lock eyes with any of his upperclassmen throughout the gym. 

Slowly, Akaashi poked Bokuto’s shoulder. He took that as a sign to straighten out, eyes portraying his regret as they met Akaashi’s gaze. 

“Um, I’m an only child.” Akaashi coughed into his fist, trying to focus on anything but Bokuto’s stunned expression. “I… I thought you’d prefer if we were professional on the court to… lessen the attention and… stares.”

Bokuto glanced around the room to see the others look away quickly, pretending to continue their drills. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Akaashi knotted his fingers together, twisting them nervously as he glanced at the wood gym floors. “Well… in this case… I did kind of want to check out that arcade and crepe place with you a few days ago.”

Bokuto bit his lip and nodded, swallowing dryly. “It’s a date then.”

Akaashi sent him a smile. “I’m going to go get water.”

The moment Akaashi left the gym, the room exploded with laughter. 

“Holy fucking shit. Bokuto. Are you kidding me? A twin?”

“Bo, you do know Akaashi introduced himself with his first name, right? Why the fuck would twins share the same first and last name?”

“Bokuto, I’m sorry to tell you, but we had a betting pool against you ever scoring a date with Akaashi. I was the only one who bet you would, so you suckers better pay up!”

“Dick!” 

Bokuto hid his face in his hands, embarrassment creeping into his system, but he couldn’t school the smile off his face. After all, he had a date with Akaashi after practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously hope you enjoyed this- I wanted to write another part to the one shot because I was like "oh fuck people actually like this au?" cuz ngl i thought i was the only one and now i see theres others out there. Hello Y'all.

**Author's Note:**

> Debating writing another owl shifter one shot for them or a mer-person thing ngl im a mess.


End file.
